


Caribbean Sea

by nightcloak666



Category: Free!
Genre: Angst, Can be taken as an AU to Open Your Eyes but does not have to be, F/M, Fluff, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-15
Updated: 2015-01-22
Packaged: 2018-03-07 17:26:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3177642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightcloak666/pseuds/nightcloak666
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"When you stop chasing the wrong things, you give the right things a chance to catch you."</p>
<p>Rin recognises Sousuke on the yacht after fifteen years of no contact. Will he have the guts to speak to him?</p>
<p>Can also be seen as an AU to "Open Your Eyes". Sousuke and Rin did not meet after ten years. It's been fifteen and a lot more has happened.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Rin breathed in the fresh air, looking at the beautiful little islands on the sea. He was on the yacht, enjoying his holiday swimming through Caribbean Sea. Away from everybody, away from problems, with fortunately not many people on the boat either. He enjoyed his silence, the sun shining, no cloud on the sky. He wished he did not dye his hair black before the trip, though, the sun was burning him twice as normally and shawls around his head were making him feel too hot.

He was sitting on the side, near the front of the yacht. They stopped for some time for a break, to enjoy the view and wait for turtles. Rin snapped out of his thoughts and looked down in surprise when he felt something tugging one long end of the shawl he had wrapped around his head.

There was a little boy, black shiny hair pointing in all the directions. He was maximum two from what Rin could figure out.

“Hey, there.” Rin smiled when the kid lifted his head and the big eyes colour of the sea they were on starred at him. Rin froze. They were just like…

“You little imp, what did I tell you about running away?”

Rin closed his eyes. He knew this voice. Oh, God, he knew this voice…

The kid let go off his shawl, innocent expression on his face, and stretched his small hands out for the man to pick him up. Rin turned his head away when he bent to pick the kid up.

Don’t recognise me, please don’t recognise me…

“Sorry, I hope he did not do anything…”

“It’s fine.” Rin quickly cut him off, hoping his voice changed enough over fifteen years.

Fifteen years.

“Sousuke! Do you want a drink?!” A male voice shouted somewhere from behind them.

Rin only started breathing when Sousuke turned away and cheerfully shouted back “Yes!”.

“Come on, we were supposed to see the turtles, right?” He asked the child who giggled excited and they went right to the front of the yacht. Rin could finally lift his head.

Sousuke. He had not seen him for fifteen years. He did not change much. Tall, strong jaw, high cheekbones. Rin smiled seeing the unruly black hair a bit longer than before, sunglasses covering the eyes of the same colour his child had.

God, Sousuke had a child. He had family.

Well, it wasn’t surprising, looking at it logically. They were in their thirties, most of the guys he knew were married, or at least had girlfriends or boyfriends and thinking about it. Some had children.

Sousuke stood tall and straight, talking to the kid who was looking at him like at a picture, interested in whatever Sousuke was telling him. Now he realised the kiddo was holding a little whale shark plushie.

Rin wondered if Sousuke would teach him swimming. If the child was talented like him.

Sousuke had a loose white cotton shirt on himself, and jeans to his knees. He looked healthy and happy, nice tan covering his body.

If he was on this yacht with family and the gold watch on his wrist was not fake, he was obviously also successful.

Good. He deserved it.

“Jesus, mate, those fucking idiots…”

Rin’s eyes followed the tall blonde guy who quickly walked up to Sousuke.

“Language.” Sousuke shook his head but the corners of his lips lifted.

“He does not understand yet, it’s alright.” The guy grinned, lifting his hand to pet the child’s hair who looked at him scrunching his nose up, obviously not fond of it.

“Are they going to pay, then?” Sousuke asked.

“I don’t know,” he sighed.

“Next time they will call, tell them they’re either paying now or I will start counting interest. If they will refuse I will send Michael to deal with them.” He took the drink from the blonde.

“Yes, boss.” He bowed a little jokingly. “Still no turtles?”

“No turtles,” Sousuke sighed.

Rin could not take his eyes off him. He had so many questions. His heart was beating so quickly, his muscles tense, ready to jump on Sousuke’s neck.

God, he was so pathetic.

And lonely.

He had no right to show himself to Sousuke. It was his choice to foolishly leave fifteen years ago. He could not suddenly come up to him and turn his world upside down.

Rin closed his eyes tight and turned his head away feeling his chin shaking.

*

On the next stop a few more people came in, employers and friends of Sousuke. The employers of the yacht treated them with special care so they obviously were respected… and had money. Rin was sitting on the side, not far away from the table where they sat, curiosity winning with being safe.

They all seemed very close, laughing, talking, and eating together. He began to think that Sousuke did not have a wife, with them getting tipsy and some of the girls starting to flirt with Sousuke. With time it was weird to not see one of them on his lap all of them joking about the stories they were telling each other. Sousuke was having fun but clearly his eyes were most of the time on his son who was playing with the few who were not drinking, giggling all the time, and dancing with the girls and guys who were spoiling him with cuddles and bringing him sweets. He was obviously loved by the whole team, making them laugh when he was getting jealous of the girls around his dad and kicking them out, taking their place on his lap, face happy. 

“Hey, guys! Turtles!” One girl shouted and Sousuke quickly lifted himself to take the excited kid in his arms and they made their way to the side, close to Rin.

“Fuck, they’re massive.”

“Izzy, stop swearing by him!” Sousuke looked at her annoyed.

“Okay, okay.” She smiled and stole the little one from Sousuke. “Look, turtles!” She pointed at one which wasn’t really needed since they really were big enough for anyone to notice.

Rin tried not to laugh as some of them seemed more excited than the child who after five seconds grew bored and started yawning, making Sousuke chuckle.

“Time for a nap.” Sousuke stretched his hands out to take him from Izzy.

“Sweet dreams, sweetcheeks.” She kissed his cheek and gave him back to Sousuke.

Rin watched him leaving with the small boy falling asleep with his head on Sousuke’s shoulder.

So many questions…

And no right to ask any.


	2. Chapter 2

After around half an hour Rin noticed that one of the guys went after Sousuke, and Sousuke came back alone. They had to be switching in who was taking care of the little boy, so Sousuke could live a little, too.

Music started playing, they began dancing. Rin could not recall seeing Sousuke so happy, a smile was not slipping off his face for the whole night.

“Where the hell are you going?!” Sousuke shouted at one of the guys who climbed outside the yacht and seemed to be preparing himself for a jump.

“I AM GOING TO BE ROSE!” He shouted back.

“Oh for God’s sake.” Sousuke quickly walked up to him and caught his hand, pulling him back. “Get back here you idiot, you don’t even know how deep the sea is here!”

“You’re ruining my titanic, Sousuke!”

“I am not going to pay for your stupid ass for the rest of your life if you are going to break your neck!”

The guy sighed and let himself be pulled only to jump on Sousuke’s neck.

“I love you, Sousuke.”

Izzy snorted the drink up her nose and started coughing.

“I know this level of drunkenness, you need to go to sleep, mate.” Sousuke made an attempt to take his arms off his neck but it did not work, the guy already snoring on him. “Why I need to be the responsible one?” Sousuke whined and bent to pick him up. “This is unfair.”

“You’re the daddy and the boss, deal with it.” Izzy patted him on the back and went after them as they made their way to the rooms.

*

Rin lay down on the bench, looking at the stars. The music was off, people were gone. He sighed quietly to himself and sat up. He wanted to go for a swim for awhile, the lights on the yacht lightening up the sea. Rin looked around quickly to check if definitely no one was around and made his way to the railing, quickly putting one leg and then another over it.

He took a deep breath in and smiled. Three… two…

“WOAH, WAIT!”

Rin shouted when an arm suddenly slipped around his waist to hold him tight. He nearly fell from the shock and to save himself from probably breaking his neck he turned and grabbed the front of the shirt of a person.

“Sousuke?!” Rin’s mouth opened as he realised that the one who caught him was no one else but him.

“…RIN?!”

Rin gaped in Sousuke’s arms, they were so close to each other, the railing being the only thing keeping them apart. Sousuke’s arms were snug around him, their shocked faces millimetres away from each other.

“Hey…” Rin swallowed hard, now realising that all the hiding was for nothing. He bit his lip, waiting for Sousuke’s reaction.

Well, at least he still did not push him back.

“What were you trying to do?” Sousuke got over the primary shock and asked, fear in his eyes.

“Jump.”

His eyes grew big.

“As in, to swim.” It hit Rin what Sousuke was thinking. Oh God. “I wasn’t trying to kill myself, what do you take me for? An idiot?” He rolled his eyes.

Sousuke cringed and let go off him.

Rin grabbed the railing, surprised. He smiled unsurely and then got himself back on the safe side. Sousuke was clearly looking away.

“I better go,” he murmured and turned away to make his way back to the rooms.

“Wait.” Rin caught the sleeve of his shirt, not sure himself what he was trying to do. At the beginning he did not want Sousuke to even recognise him, but now… if he found out anyway… It would be ugly not to talk.

Sousuke starred at him, question in his eyes.

“Stay.” Rin smiled shyly. “We do not need to talk, but, please, stay.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Rin.” Sousuke smiled, a little sadly, and walked away leaving Rin looking at his back.

*

Rin sat slowly on the bench, the magic of the place not working on him anymore. He wasn’t sure what he expected. He should have expected this. Even though it’s been fifteen years, why should Sousuke forget?

If at least they had a proper fight and parted their ways, though. Not the weird sudden cut of contact, and then acting like they never knew each other.

Since Rin told Sousuke that he is leaving to Australia Sousuke started distancing himself and the moment he stepped his foot there, Sousuke was gone from his life. Rin tried contacting him, but nothing worked. When he came back to Japan to visit family for Christmas, he went to Sousuke’s house only to find out he left months ago to America.

The urge to look for him and ask ‘why?’ was big but he respected his decision. Maybe this was what he needed. To get away from everything. Get away from swimming. Rin could see why keeping contact with him would hurt.

It made him more upset than angry when he found out that Gou was keeping contact with Sousuke. He bit his tongue and got over his ego to find out about him. Sousuke attended a university to study PR and management, was doing great, and had a group of friends he kept close with and a girlfriend.

He never visited, so Rin did not have a chance to see him and talk. When it proved too much he asked Gou if she knows why exactly Sousuke kicked him so harshly.

Leaving Sousuke behind for other people or things all the time, not helping when he needed it so badly, and of course, choosing Haru over him in the worst moment…

He figured out those stuff himself. Rin always knew that what he did was not right, the trip to Australia with Haru was probably one of his worst ideas, leaving Sousuke when he was a kid only a beginning of his idiocy. But he thought Sousuke who knew him so well would understand that he just tried to help. He was just a stupid kid. He just…

He liked excuses too much.

Rin could not recall when he realised that he was being a simple dick to Sousuke. He could not do anything anymore anyway, preferred to respect his decision. He wasn’t sure whether it was a good choice, though.

Didn’t Sousuke want him to prove he cares? He never knew what would prove it more to him, respecting his decision or running after him.

It felt like he made the wrong choice again. Maybe he shouldn’t have let go fifteen years ago, instead run after him.

Maybe Sousuke’s eyes would not look so upset and disappointed looking at him fifteen years later, if Rin simply did.


End file.
